Nigeria Faces Criticism Over Schoolchildren's Abduction

Wed Nov 26 2025 18:25:59 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Catholic Bishop in Niger State condemns the lack of government effort to rescue abducted schoolchildren, sparking a debate on security measures.

Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna has publicly criticized the Nigerian government's insufficient response to the abduction of over 250 children from a Catholic school in Niger State. His comments come as the state's police chief disputes the claims, suggesting the school did not adequately cooperate in rescue efforts. The incident highlights ongoing security challenges in Nigeria, including rampant kidnappings for ransom.

Nigeria's government is making no meaningful effort to rescue more than 250 children abducted from a Catholic boarding school in the central state of Niger last Friday, the main Catholic cleric in the region has told the BBC.

But Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna's accusation was disputed by the state's police chief, who accused the school of failing to cooperate with its search and rescue operations.

It is unclear who abducted the children from St Mary's school in Papiri village, but criminal gangs have been involved in kidnappings for ransom across Nigeria.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene militarily in Nigeria if the government fails to stop the killing of Christians.

Nigeria is the most-populous state in Africa, with a large Christian and Muslim population.

Its government says that people of all faiths and no faith are victims of insecurity in the country.

Militant Islamist groups are also waging an insurgency in Nigeria, with the government confirming last week that a senior army general had been killed by jihadists in an ambush in north-eastern Borno state.

The Niger state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) says that 303 students and 12 members of staff were abducted from the school in Papiri village, but 50 children managed to escape and have been reunited with their families.

Bishop Yohanna - who leads the Catholic church in the region - told the BBC that the only official action taken so far to rescue the students had been to compile their names. I'm not aware of any effort made by government beyond collecting the names of the students from us, he said.

The police commissioner insisted that a tactical team was at the school, though the BBC did not see a significant police presence during their visit. In the wake of these incidents, many boarding schools across Nigeria have closed, prompting parents to withdraw their children for safety.

President Bola Tinubu has since assured that the government will take action to secure safety for all Nigerians, stating, Let me be clear: I will not relent. Every Nigerian, in every state, has the right to safety.